Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
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Aliquippa is a city in
Beaver County, Pennsylvania Beaver County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,215. Its county seat is Beaver, and its largest city is Aliquippa. The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the commonw ...
, United States, along the
Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
. The population was 9,238 at the 2020 census. It is located northwest of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
and is part of the
Pittsburgh metropolitan area Greater Pittsburgh is the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Pittsburgh in Western Pennsylvania, United States. The region includes Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, Pittsburgh's urban core county and economic hub, and s ...
. Formerly the location of a large Native American trading center, Aliquippa grew to become a center for
steel manufacturing Steelmaking is the process of producing steel from iron ore and/or scrap. Steel has been made for millennia, and was commercialized on a massive scale in the 1850s and 1860s, using the Bessemer and Siemens-Martin processes. Currently, two major ...
by the early 20th century, similar to other towns in the area. With the closure of most large employers by the 1980s, Aliquippa has since become an economically distressed community.


History

Aliquippa was founded by the merger of three towns: Aliquippa, Woodlawn, and New Sheffield. There is no known direct connection between
Seneca Seneca may refer to: People, fictional characters and language * Seneca (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname : :* Seneca the Elder (c. 54 BC – c. AD 39), a Roman rhetorician, writer and father ...
Queen Aliquippa Queen Alliquippa or Queen Aliquippa (died December 23, 1754) was a leader of the Seneca tribe of American Indians during the early part of the 18th century. Biography Little is known about Queen Aliquippa's early life. Her date of birth has bee ...
and the city; rather, "Aliquippa" was one of several Indian names selected arbitrarily by the
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P≤ ), also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio, in the ...
in 1878 for stations along its route. The oldest church within the current boundaries of Aliquippa is Mt. Carmel Presbyterian Church (formerly White Oak Flats Presbyterian Church), established about 1793 in the New Sheffield region on Brodhead Road. Aliquippa is best known as the location of a productive steel mill that the
Jones and Laughlin Steel Company The Jones and Laughlin Steel Corporation, also known as J&L Steel or simply as J&L, was an American steel and iron manufacturer that operated from 1852 until 1968. The enterprise began as the American Iron Company, founded in 1852 by Bernard La ...
constructed there along the
Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
beginning in 1905. Employment at the facility sustained a population of 27,023 in 1940. The mill closed in 1984 during the collapse of the
steel industry Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high elastic modulus, yield strength, fracture strength and low raw material cost, steel is one of the ...
during the 1980s, and was demolished in 1988. This major economic loss alongside suburbanization caused a major population loss through the end of the 20th century. Many of the city's businesses have left since the closing of the mill. This has left the city economically depressed, with the crime rate dramatically rising over time. Aliquippa was formally chartered as a city in 1987 by the Aliquippa Borough Council. The B.F. Jones Memorial Library is a historical landmark of the community.
USAir Flight 427 USAir Flight 427 was a scheduled flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, with a stopover at Pittsburgh International Airport. On Thursday, September 8, 1994, the Boeing 737-3B7 flying thi ...
crashed near Aliquippa on September 8, 1994.


Geography

Aliquippa is entirely landlocked by Hopewell Township. Across the
Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...
, the city runs adjacent with, from north to south, the borough of
Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...
, Harmony Township and the borough of
Ambridge Ambridge may refer to: * Ambridge (''The Archers''), a fictional place in the UK radio programme, ''The Archers'' * Ambridge, Indiana, a former neighborhood, now part of Ambridge Mann, Indiana, US ** Ambridge station, a former railway station in A ...
which connects to Aliquippa via the
Ambridge–Aliquippa Bridge The Ambridge–Aliquippa Bridge is a steel cantilever through truss bridge which crosses the Ohio River at Ambridge, Pennsylvania. The bridge was originally named the Ambridge-Woodlawn Bridge but was soon renamed Ambridge-Aliquippa when W ...
.


Demographics

The city's population peaked in the 1930s. Since then, it has declined by two-thirds to just over 9,000 people, from a high of 27,116 in the 1930 census. As of the 2010 census, the city had 9,438 people. The racial makeup of the city was 57.6% White, 38.6% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 2.8% were two or more races. 1.3% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. As of the 2000 census, there were 11,734 people, 5,124 households, and 3,176 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,843 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 62.59% White, 35.52% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population. There were 5,124 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.7% were married couples living together, 21.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. Of all households 35.0% were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,113, and the median income for a family was $34,003. Males had a median income of $27,954 versus $21,358 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $13,718. About 17.7% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 36.3% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.


Education

The city's residents are served by the public
Aliquippa School District The Aliquippa School District is a small, urban, public school district located in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The District serves the City of Aliquippa. Aliquippa School District encompasses approximately . According to 2010 federal census d ...
, which includes Aliquippa Junior/Senior High School and Aliquippa Elementary School. Children may also choose to attend an area public
charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...
.


Notable people

*
Gust Avrakotos Gust Lascaris Avrakotos (January 14, 1938 – December 1, 2005) was an American case officer and the Afghanistan Task Force Chief at the Central Intelligence Agency. Avrakotos joined the CIA in August 1962 and was posted to Greece in 1963. Follo ...
,
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
operative *
Jon Baldwin Jonathan Dupree Baldwin (born August 10, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft. ...
,
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) player *
Tommie Campbell Tommie James Campbell (born September 19, 1987) is an American former professional football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh ro ...
, NFL player *
Daniel Chamovitz Daniel Chamovitz (Hebrew: דניאל חיימוביץ; born April 18, 1963) is an American-born Israeli plant geneticist and the 7th President of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel. On July 1, 2024, he assumed the position o ...
, biologist, 7th president of
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) (, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public university, public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Named after Israeli List of national founders, national founder David Ben-Gurion, the unive ...
* Francis J. D'Eramo, judge at the
United States Virgin Islands Superior Court The Virgin Islands Superior Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction for the United States Virgin Islands. The court is composed of nine judges. They are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature. Effective January 29, 20 ...
on St. Croix. *
Mike Ditka Michael Keller Ditka ( ; born Michael Dyczko; October 18, 1939) is an American former professional American football, football player, coach, and television commentator. During his playing career, he was UPI NFL-NFC Rookie of the Year, UPI NFL R ...
, NFL player and coach *
Tony Dorsett Anthony Drew Dorsett Sr. (born April 7, 1954) is an American former professional American football, football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. Raised in western Pennsylvani ...
, NFL player * Kenny Easterday, star of the Canadian movie ''Kenny'' (1988) *
Tito Francona John Patsy Francona (November 4, 1933 – February 13, 2018) was a Major League Baseball player, an outfielder and first baseman for 9 different teams. As a child, he was nicknamed "Tito" by his father. His son, Terry Francona, is also often refe ...
,
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player *
Sean Gilbert Sean Gilbert (born April 10, 1970) is an American college football coach and former professional player. He is the head football coach for Livingstone College, a position he has held since 2020. Gilbert played as a defensive tackle in the Nation ...
, NFL player *
Frank Gnup Frank Theodore Gnup (April 5, 1917 – September 27, 1976) was an American quarterback, halfback and coach who played Canadian football from 1946 to 1952. A native of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania who was a star player at Manhattan College, Gnup ...
,
Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...
player and coach * Nate Guenin,
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
player * Frank Hribar, NFL player * Connie Izay, nurse, actress, technical advisor on medical television programs *
Ty Law Tajuan Edward "Ty" Law (born February 10, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football f ...
, NFL player *
Joe Letteri Joseph Bruce Letteri (born 1957) is a senior visual effects artist, winner of five Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards and four VES awards. He is the current Senior Visual Effects Supervisor of the Academy Award-winning Wētā FX having joined ...
, visual effects artist, five time Oscar winner *
Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...
,
music composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and defi ...
("
Moon River "Moon River" is a song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song also won the 19 ...
" and "
The Pink Panther Theme "The Pink Panther Theme" is a jazz composition by Henry Mancini written as the theme for the 1963 film ''The Pink Panther'' and subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score at the 37th Academy Awards but lost to the She ...
"), born in
Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, raised in Aliquippa *
Pete Maravich Peter Press Maravich ( ; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. He starred in college at Louisiana State University's Tigers basketball team; his father, Press Mar ...
, basketball player *
Press Maravich Peter "Press" Maravich (August 29, 1915 – April 15, 1987) was an American college and professional basketball coach. He received the nickname "Press" as a boy, when one of his jobs was selling the '' Pittsburgh Press'' on the streets of his hom ...
, basketball coach * Demetria Martinez, poet and author * Felicia Mason, author *
Doc Medich George Francis "Doc" Medich (born December 9, 1948) is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1972 to 1982. He was a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and acquired ...
, MLB pitcher * Paul Posluszny, NFL player *
Darrelle Revis Darrelle Shavar Revis (born July 14, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). A member of the New York Jets for most of his career, Revis is considered o ...
, football player *
Aaron Shust Aaron Michael Shust (born October 31, 1975) is an American contemporary Christian music artist formerly on the Brash Music and Centricity Music labels, and now on his own label. Shust was named the Songwriter of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards o ...
, contemporary Christian music artist * Jesse Steinfeld,
Surgeon General of the United States The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. T ...
* Pete Suder, MLB player * Edward Surratt, confessed serial killer and rapist from the 1970s *
David Urban David Urban (born March 6, 1964) is an American lobbyist and political commentator for CNN. He is the managing director for BGR Group and serves on the board of directors for numerous companies. Urban served as a senior advisor to the 2016 D ...
, lawyer, political advisor, and commentator * Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, WNBA shooting guard *
Robert Wykes Robert A. Wykes (May 19, 1926 in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania; - June 29, 2021 in St. Louis, Missouri) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and flautist. He began studying the flute as a child, then served ...
, classical flautist * Jordan Whitehead, football player


See also

*
List of cities and towns along the Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...


References


External links


City of Aliquippa website
{{authority control Cities in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania populated places on the Ohio River Populated places established in 1793 Pittsburgh metropolitan area Cities in Beaver County, Pennsylvania Company towns in Pennsylvania 1793 establishments in Pennsylvania